Submitted by De-certify (not verified) on August 11, 2008 - 7:02pm.
Unions as a whole are a good thing, and they serve an important role in the workplace. As stated above, unions are also definitely part of the public trust and it is quite unfortunate to see SEIU violate that trust again and again by ineffective bargaining, poor democratic principles, and a grandiose agenda that is way out of touch with it's members needs.
Is the current scandal Stern's concern? SEIU wields enough financial and political clout to sweep this whole thing under the rug. With the stroke of a pen a generous SEIU advertising campaing can quell the tongue of a struggling newspaper; even a large one. That's why there are seldom follow up articles or expose' series written about unions.
SEIU's political clout and huge LEGAL budget will easily discourage any government agency from questioning how LOCAL's leadership spends their finances, and confound a Grand Jury. Once again it will proactively use its LAWYERS in a "damage control campaign". Later a few phone calls to some important political recipients of the unions benefits. And last a "smoke screen campaign" to distract the attention of it's members from the union's own corruption and ineffectiveness to some fabricated front burner issue we should all be concerned about.
SEIU's wasteful spending habits should not come as a surprise to anyone. They can be readily seen at each union leadership meeting. The elected representatives are softened with generous per diem and wining and dining, all expenses paid trips. In an age of video and internet communication, the union will rather pay huge fees for hotels, banquets, and splendid evening parties so that an agenda can be rubber stamped, instead of setting up an effective online system that can publish information, collect votes, and minimize travel needs. When travel is necessary it should not differ from what members are entitled to when travelling for work.
Meanwhile the union has another face to the members: It shows how frugal it is when it has a luncheon for the member workers - a canned soda, some chips and a hot dog lunch is typical at most employee campaigns where they'll tell you how they're struggling financially and need to raise your dues, and ask you to sign a promise that you won't de-certify.
Lets face it, the glipse we've seen into the corruption that has taken place at one Union LOCAL is very possibly a good representation of what takes place across the board.
So is the answer to the question of the day: "My union right or wrong" or is it "Let's make annual unbiased indepenent audits mandatory for all locals (to clean house) so that this doesn't happen again!"?
Not Even the Tip of The Iceberg
Unions as a whole are a good thing, and they serve an important role in the workplace. As stated above, unions are also definitely part of the public trust and it is quite unfortunate to see SEIU violate that trust again and again by ineffective bargaining, poor democratic principles, and a grandiose agenda that is way out of touch with it's members needs.
Is the current scandal Stern's concern? SEIU wields enough financial and political clout to sweep this whole thing under the rug. With the stroke of a pen a generous SEIU advertising campaing can quell the tongue of a struggling newspaper; even a large one. That's why there are seldom follow up articles or expose' series written about unions.
SEIU's political clout and huge LEGAL budget will easily discourage any government agency from questioning how LOCAL's leadership spends their finances, and confound a Grand Jury. Once again it will proactively use its LAWYERS in a "damage control campaign". Later a few phone calls to some important political recipients of the unions benefits. And last a "smoke screen campaign" to distract the attention of it's members from the union's own corruption and ineffectiveness to some fabricated front burner issue we should all be concerned about.
SEIU's wasteful spending habits should not come as a surprise to anyone. They can be readily seen at each union leadership meeting. The elected representatives are softened with generous per diem and wining and dining, all expenses paid trips. In an age of video and internet communication, the union will rather pay huge fees for hotels, banquets, and splendid evening parties so that an agenda can be rubber stamped, instead of setting up an effective online system that can publish information, collect votes, and minimize travel needs. When travel is necessary it should not differ from what members are entitled to when travelling for work.
Meanwhile the union has another face to the members: It shows how frugal it is when it has a luncheon for the member workers - a canned soda, some chips and a hot dog lunch is typical at most employee campaigns where they'll tell you how they're struggling financially and need to raise your dues, and ask you to sign a promise that you won't de-certify.
Lets face it, the glipse we've seen into the corruption that has taken place at one Union LOCAL is very possibly a good representation of what takes place across the board.
So is the answer to the question of the day: "My union right or wrong" or is it "Let's make annual unbiased indepenent audits mandatory for all locals (to clean house) so that this doesn't happen again!"?